Enrollment
428
South Carolina · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · York, SC
Cotton Belt Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Cotton Belt Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 450381000366
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 Attendance 60
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cotton Belt Elementary earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median.
- #3 of 4
- schools in York · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.8:1
- students per teacher
- 76.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Cotton Belt Elementary has class sizes near the South Carolina median. Computed live against every South Carolina school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cotton Belt Elementary ranks #3 of 4 schools in York, SC.
School address
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.8:1
vs 14.3:1 South Carolina avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
76.0%
vs 74.0% South Carolina avg
+3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cotton Belt Elementary compares with South Carolina and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cotton Belt Elementary
Cotton Belt Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in York, South Carolina, enrolling 428 students.
At 13.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the South Carolina median, within a few percentage points of the 14.3:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 76.0% lands close to the South Carolina typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 428 puts it in the smaller third of South Carolina schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,214 scored South Carolina schools.
Against 76 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #27.
Its student body is led by White (55%) and African American (24%) (diversity index 62/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 428 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
16.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 16.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among York's public schools, it stands alongside Hunter Street Elementary (427 students): Cotton Belt Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (13.8:1 vs 12.2:1).
York 01 also operates York Comprehensive High (1,511 students) and York Middle (789 students) alongside Cotton Belt Elementary.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Cotton Belt Elementary compares
Cotton Belt Elementary on the metrics families compare, against South Carolina and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs South Carolina | South Carolina avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.8:1 | ▼ 3% | 14.3:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.0% | ▲ 3% | 74.0% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 428 | top 66% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.8:1
Leaner classes than 59% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
428
Bigger than 52% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
76.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% above the South Carolina average of 74.0%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.8:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 46% in South Carolina - lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
16.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$13,508
per pupil, district-wide
- below South Carolina avg of $14,558
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 428 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
32
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 54.7%
African American 24.1%
Two or More 10.0%
Hispanic or Latino 9.8%
Asian 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 54.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.3, Cotton Belt Elementary is more mixed than the South Carolina school average of 52.7.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for York 01, which includes Cotton Belt Elementary.
$13,508
Per student
-7%
vs South Carolina
Avg $14,558
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.5%
State 47.9%
Federal 16.6%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Cotton Belt Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| York Comprehensive High | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| York Middle | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| York Intermediate | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Hunter Street Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hickory Grove-Sharon Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cotton Belt Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,511
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 789
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 624
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 427
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 401
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
Similar other schools in York
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of South Carolina, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~428 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cotton Belt Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Cotton Belt Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- York 01's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Cotton Belt Elementary
How many students attend Cotton Belt Elementary?
Cotton Belt Elementary has 428 students enrolled. It is a public school in York, SC.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cotton Belt Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Cotton Belt Elementary is 13.8:1, which is 3% lower than the South Carolina average of 14.3:1 and 12% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cotton Belt Elementary?
76.0% of students at Cotton Belt Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the South Carolina average of 74.0%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cotton Belt Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Cotton Belt Elementary is White at 54.7% of enrollment, in York, SC. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.3/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cotton Belt Elementary?
Cotton Belt Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Cotton Belt Elementary rank among schools in York?
By Resource Investment Index, Cotton Belt Elementary ranks #3 of 4 schools in York, SC. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in York on the city page.
Is Cotton Belt Elementary a good school?
Cotton Belt Elementary earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the South Carolina median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in York 01?
Besides Cotton Belt Elementary, York 01 also operates York Comprehensive High (1,511 students), York Middle (789 students), and York Intermediate (624 students). See the York 01 district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.